Looking for Recommendations for Trying (New to Us) Restaurants

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Active Member

Hi. I just booked an 8-day trip in early July (even though I swore I would not go this year). This is about our 14th trip, so my husband wants to try some new restaurants and my brother, his wife, and my four nieces and nephews coming on the trip (ages 11-6), which is their first. I am looking for recommendations for restaurants that someone recently visited (within the last year) and really liked the food. We all signed up for the standard dining plan and know that the kids would not appreciate a signature restaurant's fare. Any recommendations with specifically what food you liked would be greatly appreciated. Below are a list of restaurants that we ate at in the last two years:

I am specifically interested in anyone's opinion about the Storybook Dining at Artist Point, The Wave, Tusker House, San Angel Inn, La Hacienda de Angel, and Garden Grill, but am also interested in other opinions as well. Thank you.

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Hi. I just booked an 8-day trip at Coronado Springs in early July (even though I swore I would not go this year). This is about our 14th trip, so my husband wants to try some new restaurants. I am looking for recommendations for restaurants that someone recently visited (within the last year) and really liked the food. Princesses are out as we have son (10) who is not interested in them. We signed up for the standard dining plan and know that our son would not appreciate a signature restaurant's fare. Any recommendations with specifically what food you liked would be greatly appreciated. Below are a list of restaurants that we ate at in the last two years.

We've visited Disney World recently with kids and one of our favorites at Animal Kingdom is Yak and Yeti. My daughter (16) says it's her favorite restaurant period - anywhere. She likes any of the noodle meals and loves the chicken and waffles. It's got a fun atmosphere, too. Your son may also like the ambiance of the smoking volcano at Mexico's Epcot Pavilion. We recently dined at the San Angel Inn (after years of skipping it from our 2010 trip) and were pleasantly surprised. The steak was really tasty - and perfectly cooked! Plus, the Three Caballeros boat ride is a fun little excursion. Our teenage son can never resist putting on sombreros and taking goofy pictures. At Magic Kingdom, if y'all like Italian, Tony's Town Square is quite good. We ate there three times in 2018 and were very pleased with both food and service all three visits. Our son likes the spaghetti and meatballs and the made-to-order pizza. Our other family favorite at MK is Liberty Tree. It's "family style" and our two picky eaters have always eaten well here. It's just a ton of food, but so yummy. Looks like you've already tried our favorite at Hollywood - 50s Prime Time Cafe - we've eaten there EVERY VISIT without fail.

We have tried The Plaza in MK, but were underwhelmed. It's pretty standard and bland sandwich/salad fare. The service and location were both positives, but we haven't felt the need to return. It's just kind of "there." Food taste and selection didn't win us over.

Active Member

We've visited Disney World recently with kids and one of our favorites at Animal Kingdom is Yak and Yeti. My daughter (16) says it's her favorite restaurant period - anywhere. She likes any of the noodle meals and loves the chicken and waffles. It's got a fun atmosphere, too. Your son may also like the ambiance of the smoking volcano at Mexico's Epcot Pavilion. We recently dined at the San Angel Inn (after years of skipping it from our 2010 trip) and were pleasantly surprised. The steak was really tasty - and perfectly cooked! Plus, the Three Caballeros boat ride is a fun little excursion. Our teenage son can never resist putting on sombreros and taking goofy pictures. At Magic Kingdom, if y'all like Italian, Tony's Town Square is quite good. We ate there three times in 2018 and were very pleased with both food and service all three visits. Our son likes the spaghetti and meatballs and the made-to-order pizza. Our other family favorite at MK is Liberty Tree. It's "family style" and our two picky eaters have always eaten well here. It's just a ton of food, but so yummy. Looks like you've already tried our favorite at Hollywood - 50s Prime Time Cafe - we've eaten there EVERY VISIT without fail.

We have tried The Plaza in MK, but were underwhelmed. It's pretty standard and bland sandwich/salad fare. The service and location were both positives, but we haven't felt the need to return. It's just kind of "there." Food taste and selection didn't win us over.

Tony's might be our second choice for another day at MK as we are definitely going back to the Jungle Navigation Canteen. We tried The Plaza about 6 years ago and felt the same and wondered if they improved since then. I was thinking about going to San Angel Inn. I'll have a look at the Yak and Yeti (that may or may not work out as my son is not a fan of rice, but does like spicy food). We did like 50s. I haven't decided if we will be at HWS during dinnertime yet. For the last two years, we went for magic hours and then hopped over to Epcot for the evening instead. Thank you for your reply.

My kids feel very "grown up" when we eat at The Wave, it's one of our favorites, a must every trip.
Tusker House is also a must every trip, highly recommended.
We liked, did not love, Garden Grill (breakfast).

And while it's "Signature" I'll bet your kid would like the food at Hoop De Do, and it's a fun show. Corny. But fun. And if some of the rumors are true, maybe you should go now while you still can.

And if you wind up doing Hoop De Do, The Plaza is a great place to dine "out of pocket" as it's not very expensive. The food won't wow you, but still quite good burger fare. And then you've got a credit to use elsewhere.

I still like Whispering Canyon. Not so convenient if you're using Disney transportation though (same deal with Hoop De Do).
The Mexican restaurant in Epcot is overpriced but we still like it. Ditto Rose and Crown, especially since when I went last, they took steak off the menu entirely.

We also like Turf Club though it's been a while since we went. But like The Wave it's rarely busy, both of them have excellent chances of spur of the moment reservations or even walk-ups.

Well-Known Member

We ate at the Garden Grill for breakfast last November and loved it. Most of the food is very basic breakfast food you can get anywhere else. But the cinnamon roll bake that they have is really good. The character interaction was good and it is a lot of fun being able to see part of Living with the Land.
We also visited and loved:
La Hacienda de San Angel (during Illuminations)
Whispering Canyon for breakfast
Kona Cafe for breakfast and dinner

Well-Known Member

Over time and as your kids grow older you get into "favorite restaurants" that are immobile on any schedule, this child loves this one and it's a must-do, wife wants to do another, another child wants another, etc.. Take these immobile restaurants, schedule them and see what else you come up with. Get out of your comfort zone because sometimes you get a nice surprise. It's how we handle things. Many of the ones listed in the OP are favorites of ours (Boma, O'hana, Biergarten, Jungle Canteen, etc)

Well-Known Member

i’d also recommend homecomin. tried it for the first time last month, & it was great. generous portions. raglan road in DS is always a must for us every year.
we’ve done tusker house a few times. good food & there’s something there for everyone. good luck with whatever you choose.

Well-Known Member

Honestly it may not be the best for your son but I'd highly recommend Jiko. Easily my favorite restaurant there. I also have to give a +1 for the Yak and Yeti recommendation. Casey's Corner is an awesome QS restaurant at MK that you should definitely check out.

Well-Known Member

We did a lunch at Tusker House a few trips ago and loved it. Very good food (and I'm not a buffet person ). Very fun interaction with Donald and company. I have not eaten at the other ones you want to try.

I got back from my last trip a mere two weeks ago so I'll give you a rundown of where we ate and what we liked:

Pecos Bill/MK - decent counter service and a great toppings bar.

Restaurant Marrakech/E - we'd eaten at the counter service several times and really liked it, but I was disappointed with the sit-down restaurant. The food (chicken brochettes and beef kebab) was okay but very bland, not at all what we were expecting. The restaurant itself is quite large and loud. The service was very good, though.

Sanaa - I adore Sanaa. The food is great and you're right on the savannah. The bread service is SO GOOD and the mains are really great too. By far and away the best meal we had on the trip.

San Angel Inn/E - The food is good, not great, and quite pricy (but what isn't?) Excellent service and a great atmosphere though.

Skipper Canteen - I love it. I had the veg. curry which was very yummy.

Beaches and Cream - see my thread on this one. Your son might like the fun ambiance and the ridiculous sundaes.

Kona Cafe - have done breakfast and dinner. It was good but not amazing.

Well-Known Member

Hi. I just booked an 8-day trip at Coronado Springs in early July (even though I swore I would not go this year). This is about our 14th trip, so my husband wants to try some new restaurants. I am looking for recommendations for restaurants that someone recently visited (within the last year) and really liked the food. Princesses are out as we have son (10) who is not interested in them. We signed up for the standard dining plan and know that our son would not appreciate a signature restaurant's fare. Any recommendations with specifically what food you liked would be greatly appreciated. Below are a list of restaurants that we ate at in the last two years.

We love Tusker House - breakfast was really good as are their lunch/dinner options. We have always had really good character experiences and food has always been consistent. My favorite place to eat breakfast at WDW is at Kona Cafe though. No characters but the food is really good - those pineapple macadamia nut pancakes!!! We also like Sanaa for dinner - if you plan it for 5pm at first seating and arrive early, you can request a table by the windows and see the animals on the savanna. Homecomin at Disney Springs was fantastic. Also, we had some really good food at quick service locations in March. The breakfast at Yak and Yeti quick service in AK was soooo good. And we always love Columbia Harbour House in MK - we sit on the second floor, which is less busy, and sit over the bridge with views into the park. The lunch at Be Our Guest was much better than their breakfast! I will never do their breakfast again. I haven't been there since they changed dinner to signature with an updated menu. I've never been let down with breakfast at Crystal Palace either.

Active Member

Thanks everyone. We had some changes to our trip. Now my brother, my sister-in-law, and my four nieces and nephews (2 girls who are 10 and 8 and two boys who are 9 and 6) are going along with us. This is their very first trip and they said they are pretty much up to anything and they are leaving me to do the planning. Stressful....as I need to make reservations in about a week.

Active Member

Over time and as your kids grow older you get into "favorite restaurants" that are immobile on any schedule, this child loves this one and it's a must-do, wife wants to do another, another child wants another, etc.. Take these immobile restaurants, schedule them and see what else you come up with. Get out of your comfort zone because sometimes you get a nice surprise. It's how we handle things. Many of the ones listed in the OP are favorites of ours (Boma, O'hana, Biergarten, Jungle Canteen, etc)

I know what you mean. Ohana, Biergarten, Jungle Canteen are all mandatories each trip. We will probably end up back at the Rainforest Cafe since my brother's family is now coming with us. I am leaning toward Tusker House ROL package too so that they can have good seats for the show and also have a character interaction. Thankfully, my nieces are not princess girls, so we don't have to book an exclusive princess experience.

Active Member

i’d also recommend homecomin. tried it for the first time last month, & it was great. generous portions. raglan road in DS is always a must for us every year.
we’ve done tusker house a few times. good food & there’s something there for everyone. good luck with whatever you choose.

Active Member

We did a lunch at Tusker House a few trips ago and loved it. Very good food (and I'm not a buffet person ). Very fun interaction with Donald and company. I have not eaten at the other ones you want to try.

I got back from my last trip a mere two weeks ago so I'll give you a rundown of where we ate and what we liked:

Pecos Bill/MK - decent counter service and a great toppings bar.

Restaurant Marrakech/E - we'd eaten at the counter service several times and really liked it, but I was disappointed with the sit-down restaurant. The food (chicken brochettes and beef kebab) was okay but very bland, not at all what we were expecting. The restaurant itself is quite large and loud. The service was very good, though.

Sanaa - I adore Sanaa. The food is great and you're right on the savannah. The bread service is SO GOOD and the mains are really great too. By far and away the best meal we had on the trip.

San Angel Inn/E - The food is good, not great, and quite pricy (but what isn't?) Excellent service and a great atmosphere though.

Skipper Canteen - I love it. I had the veg. curry which was very yummy.

Beaches and Cream - see my thread on this one. Your son might like the fun ambiance and the ridiculous sundaes.

Kona Cafe - have done breakfast and dinner. It was good but not amazing.

My oldest son, who is now nearly 19, loved Beaches and Cream when we went in 2004. I still think about the No Way Jose ice cream sundae. I think I will just offer to pay out of pocket for the sundaes if the kids want to go. I like Tangierine Cafe a lot, but have always shied away from Morocco's TS restaurant. I will speak to my brother about Sanaa, but I have a feeling they will want to go to Tusker House instead because of the character experience. If anything, I will file it away for our next visit.

Well-Known Member

Garden Grill, i see you mentioned. The wife and i visited and really thought for just the 2 of us, there was too much food! It was good, just too much. We both felt obligated to eat more...all the way into a food coma.

New Member

I will also say Sanaa. This is my daughters favorite restaurant (she’s 11 now). Bread service is excellent. She got the lamb sosatie and loved it. She had never eaten lamb before. We also like Teppan Edo in Epcot.